To put your Contact Lenses in:

1 Wash your hands with soap and dry them off.

2 Use a new lens OR take your lens and clean it off by rinsing with your contact solution to get rid of any debris.

3 Put the lens on the finger of your dominant hand. Make sure the lens is a nice round curved shape that looks like a smiley face, not a sharp triangle. If it is upside down, flip it.

4 Pull up your eyelid with your non-dominant hand so the lens can slide in cleanly.

5 Lightly place the lens on your eye.

6 Blink several times to center the lens. You’re all set.

7 If it feels a little dry, put a few drops of solution into your eye and blink again.

8 If it hurts or feels very dry or uncomfortable, take it out and look for tears or debris. If it is damaged throw it away. If not, rinse it again and reapply it. If it was turned upside, rinse it, turn it right side up and reapply.

Don’t worry if you struggle putting your contacts on, we all do! Learn how to put contacts on while you watch me struggle through my own journey

Video: How To Put In Contact Lenses

Video Transcript:

How to put in contact lenses, the journey. We’ll start with a beautiful alarm and not being able to see as we reach for our phone. Ah got it.

Step 1, complete.

Step 2, somehow make it to the bathroom, using the walls for support as we still can’t see. Good thing we know this path so well that it is ingrained in our motor memory. Don’t worry if you’re having a little trouble, it is completely normal at this point. Phew made it.

Let’s move on to step 3 washing your hands. It’s important to get rid of all dust and bacteria particles before putting your contact lenses in your eye. I realize the toothpaste and hot sauce you may or may not have sitting on your bathroom counter look extremely tempting, however, let’s refrain from touching those until after we’ve put the lenses in. Trust me.

Now we start the fun part, opening the contact lens case. Place your hand in the case and scoop it out using a swishing motion. Think of it like you’re brushing a bug off your leg, except you’re brushing a contact lens into your hand.

Step 6, determine if the lens is angry or happy. Angry lenses flare out in a triangle shape and should never be put into your eye. If your lens is angry, flip it over so it becomes a smooth half circle shape before putting it in your eye. Perfect exactly like this.

If your lens is angry, just don’t put it in your eye. You don’t want it to look like that. You can tell the happy lens is happy because it curves up in a smile. Look, it’s a happy lens.

If your lens is too dry, you can add some contact lens solution to it while it is on your finger, before putting it in your eye. Step 7, putting the lens in your eye. I like to hold my eyelash with my left hand as I gently place the happy lens on my eye.

No need for excess force or poking yourself in the eye, you can save that for someone who deserves it. Just think of it as gently placing the lens on top of your eye. Congratulations! If you’ve made it this far, you’re almost there. If your eyes are still dry, you can pour more contact solution directly into your eye. Maybe I just have super dry eyes, but I always do this.

If anyone sees you right after doing this, they might freak out and think you just lost your house or your boyfriend but it’s worth it. I’m not actually devastated or crying because I lost my favorite puppy, I promise. Finally, your contact lenses are in and it’s time to celebrate your hard work.

Not everyone can blindly make it to their bathroom, or put something in their eye they can’t even see, definitely cause for celebration.

Closing comments: Putting in contacts can be scary, but remember, with practice and patience you will be able to master it.

All About Vision reports a recent study where 169 kids, ages 8-17, learned how to put in contacts for the first time, and 86% got to a point where at the end of the study their parents agreed they were able to put in the lenses. They were also confident their child would be able to responsibly wear the lenses.

If (86% of) 169 children can successfully do it to the point their parents say they are responsible enough to wear them on their own, don’t worry, you can do this on your own too!

Comment below your contact lens stories, and if you’ve ever had trouble putting your lenses on as well as what you’ve done to overcome those troubles!